Towards Development of Epistemic Identity in Chemistry Teacher Education

Abstract

The book set out to bridge theoretical perspectives from philosophy of chemistry and teacher education research and practice. The chapters so far explored how theoretical perspectives on epistemic themes can be adapted for the purposes of pre-service teacher education in practice. A teacher education intervention was designed and implemented to teach pre-service teachers about the epistemic core of chemistry and to trace the impact of the intervention on them. Teacher educators’ reflections on the process were reported. While countless arguments have been made about the integration of philosophy of science in science teacher education more broadly, there is paucity of empirical evidence on what epistemic content can be relevant and appropriate for chemistry teacher education; what is possible to accomplish with pre-service teachers given their limited exposure to epistemic themes; and how teacher preparation programmes may or may not accommodate the inclusion of such themes. In the final chapter, the discussion so far in the book is contextualised within the newly emerging research area of “identity” in science education. A framework is proposed about the development of “epistemic identity” in pre-service teacher education and in-service continuous professional development of teachers. The framework extends the emphasis on the cognitive aspects of the epistemic core to include the affective, social and institutional aspects. The conclusion of the book includes some implications for future research on chemistry teacher education.